CMC Quebec at 50: A New Chapter Begins

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Now at the cusp of its 50th anniversary, the Quebec chapter of the Canadian Music Centre (CMCQ) is in no way befallen by the pangs of nostalgia that creep up at that age. But this does mean that its current artistic and managing director, Claire Marchand, is aloof to any celebrations for the institution she heads—one that houses tens of thousands of scores and archival recordings.

Looking into the rearview mirror is all good and fine, but more important to her is what lies ahead. Between the recent inauguration of its new downtown facility and the mammoth undertaking of digitalizing its archives, all bodes well for the future of this well-established organization within the local cultural ecosystem. What a better opportunity than this milestone year to take stock of the CMCQ’s checkered history and the role it has played over the years.

Early Days

The idea of creating a music centre in Canada was first entertained in the 1930s by a handful of visionaries, one of them being the composer and conductor Ernest MacMillan. In 1949, the Canadian Music Council tendered a request to the federal government to establish an organization mandated to promote and facilitate the presentation of Canadian music.

Fast-forward to the late 1950s when the first CMC chapter opened its doors in Toronto. Parallel to that, an urge to do the same was now making the rounds in Quebec, especially in Montreal. Faced back then by an onslaught of requests stemming from that city’s very effervescent scene, CMC decided to decentralize its activities, thus resulting in the creation of a branch office in 1973.

Both Paul Baby, a businessman and amateur musician, and pianist Louise Laplante, the CMCQ’s founding director, were instrumental in setting up the CMCQ; their hard work paid off when it successfully carved out a spot for itself in the music community. Over the years, it has expanded its range of services to include a printing workshop, rentals of orchestral scores, digitalization of sound archives and its own brand-new recital room: l’Espace Kendergi—named after the late musicologist and tireless promoter of new music, Maryvonne Kendergi.

More Relevant than Ever

In this banner year, the CMCQ plays an indispensable role in the preservation and promotion of Quebec’s musical history. Aside from its outreach initiatives aimed at increasing the exposure of its 300-strong membership base of composers in the marketplace, it has a comprehensive database of thousands of original works and even offers profitable arrangements for collecting royalties.

Over its history, CMCQ has taken part in several prestigious international gatherings—MUSICORA, in France, for one—while also instituting international music competitions such as the Concours de musique québécoise CMC Québec/Québecor. A whole range of educational activities also figures high on its list of services with the express purpose of encouraging emerging talents in their creative pursuits. With its library storing more than 25,000 works and 14,000 audio recordings, CMCQ is second to none as the first-line resource for documenting and disseminating all Québécois concert music, the body of works from its membership pool ever expanding.

A Bold Move

Earlier this year, CMCQ relocated its headquarters from its old premises on Beaver Hall Hill to an office building on Crescent Street owned by the Montreal Fine Arts Museum, a move marking an important new chapter. Not only are the new premises open to the public for consulting scores and access to recordings in its library, but there is a fully-equipped printing and binding shop on the floor above it. The 40-seat Espace Kendergi, complete with a grand piano, is a new addition, and one that will be well used, too, for it will be available for rental, as well as for its soon to be announced in-house recital series.

This move is a strategic one as well, resulting in a long-term partnership between the CMCQ, the museum and its own concert hall, Salle Bourgie. This opens the door to a host of activities such as the holding of conferences and workshops, or topical concerts related to the themes of art museum exhibits and assorted presentations. This joint venture is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the CMCQ to showcase its members and their works under the best possible circumstances.

The Digital Push

The CMCQ has invested considerable time and resources over the last few years to digitalize more than 8,000 handwritten documents and scores in that same order of size, while also putting together a semantic web-based technology for its database. This technology is based on an exploratory modelling, sampling and visualization of data into a system called DOLCe, which has allowed a look at new avenues to better manage the wealth of information contained in the archive while making it more readily accessible and user-friendly for the public.

50th anniversary special

Claire Marchand

On Nov. 15, the CMCQ pops the cork for its anniversary at a concert occurring in the main hall of the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal at 4750 Henri-Julien. Claire Marchand cordially invites everyone to partake in the festivities and salute not only the organization and the important role it has played in documenting Quebec’s musical history, but the people who have left their mark on it—figures from the past like Jean Papineau-Couture, Claude Vivier and Jacques Hétu, those still around like Serge Arcuri, Ana Sokolović and Denis Gougeon, not to overlook more recent contributors such as Samy Moussa, Nicole Lizée and James O’Callaghan. Also fêted that evening will be its past directors, all women, of whom Mireille Gagné stands out for her 30 years tenure.